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The movie that killed BradJen, or whatever stupid nickname the tabloids had for Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and hatched Brangelina was on HBO last night so me and the sweetie watched to see if there were any clues.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which continues the up and down nature of director Doug Liman’s career1, gives us the darkly comic tale of husband and wife John and Jane Smith. Unbeknownst to the other, each works as a top assassin but for different, enemy organizations. Precisely who employs the no longer so in love spouses is never mentioned though I got the idea that we’re talking about rivals within the US intelligence bureaucracy and not, say USA v. China.
John and Jane are sent, separately, to kill some fearsome young desperado during a transfer of custody and, after failing due to the unexpected presense of the other, realize who was there. Learning their true natures incites the Joneses to go to war, like the camel’s final straw, since neither thinks they want to be in the marriage anyway.
Hundreds of knives and bullets fly, a few explosions are set off and the couple finally learn the whole assignment was a setup by their bosses, who just found out their killer was married to an enemy killer. Still no longer in love, they’re pissed off enough to team up and fight their way past the platoon of blacked out soldiers assigned to finish them. In an incredibly predictable conclusion they fall back in love in the process of killing every one of the soldiers. Fade to black.
There are two things wrong here: the wanton violence and the fact that the whole movie feels like a warmed over remake of the much better Kathleen Turner/Michael Douglas film The War of the Roses. That 1989 film, still the best directorial effort from Danny DeVito, mined the same terrain using brains instead of rocket launchers.
moderately recommended, especially if you want to see Jolie in a leather outfit taking care of a ‘naughty boy’ terrorist leader and dancing in a thin shift in a tropical rainstorm.
1: Swingers – great, Go – a big miss, Bourne Identity – a personal all-time favorite, Mr. & Mrs. Smith – a solid single.
